Organizing tips from celebrity organizer Justin Klosky

Michele Borboa, MS is a freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, food, lifestyle, and pets. Michele is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, cookbook author, and pet-lover based in Bozeman, Montana. She is also...

Cleaning and organizing tips

When busy celebrities need help organizing their life, they turn to a high-energy organizing professional who can streamline the organization process and help them maintain order. Justin Klosky, organization guru and founder of O.C.D Experience, boasts a growing list of upscale clients, including celebs such as Brooke Langton, Topher Grace and Bryce Dallas Howard. But you don’t have to be a star to have Klosky’s organization tips change your life. Here, he shares his organizing philosophy and top organizing tips.

Organize, Create, Discipline (O.C.D.)

That's right – you can't just organize and expect your complicated life to not interfere with the neat and tidy. Klosky's goal with O.C.D Experience is to help instill organizational values – organize, create and discipline – to successfully maintain order for the long-term, regardless of the level of chaos your life presents. For the average disorganized person, this can seem overwhelming – but Klosky assures that he can make organization a manageable task.

"What some would find challenging, I find enlightening. I travel around the country helping people better themselves, personally and professionally, and there is no greater reward," says Klosky. "Following my passion has provided me with many amazing opportunities to change lives, one drawer, cabinet or office at a time – organization leads to success." And Klosky wants to see your success.

Physical clutter leads to emotional clutter

Klosky's unique approach to organizational goes far beyond what one would expect. Organization with O.C.D is based upon the core belief that energy and flow are directly connected to your emotional well-being. The order in which you organize, resume and rebuild gives you the opportunity to not just organize your belongings, but to also change the way you think and process. If there is constant disorder in your life, home and work, it is reflected in the outcome and productivity of your behavior and actions.

Organization tips to make your life easier

Organize your workspace

Klosky's philosophy: In business, time equals money, and in order to maximize time and revenue, an organized office is a productive office. Organizing can create maximum efficiency and performance. Say goodbye to Post-it notes, files all over your desk, pens hiding under papers, and welcome the perfect setup in the space you spend the most time.

Put your life on the calendar

Just because your organizer, PDA or wall calendar is blank doesn't mean you have nothing to worry about. In fact, it can signal disorganization and a significant source of stress. Klosky recommends "pre-scheduling time for recurring appointments, such as workouts, doctor's appointments and meetings" so you have a firm grasp of your upcoming days, weeks and months. Use last year's calendar as a starting point, carrying over important dates and appointments onto your new calendar. "Use an electronic calendar to keep your schedule digitally organized," the organizing expert adds.

Organize according to the season

Are those Christmas decorations still taking up space in your spare bedroom? You should be prepping for spring cleaning, not holiday cleanup. Now is the time to organize your holiday décor so that you can easily put it up and take it down without living with holiday clutter. "Decide whether or not you're going to keep your decorations," suggests Klosky. "If there is storage room in your house, neatly label and pack them in a place that is accessible for next year." And if those holiday cards scattered on your desk are that important, Klosky recommends scanning them into a digital file and getting rid of the hard copies.

Clear out your closet

Spring cleaning is the most opportune time to go through your home and de-clutter, donate and organize. "Prepare ahead for the change of seasons by sorting the items in your closet based on what you wear and what don't," suggests Klosky. Same goes for clothing and other items in your cabinets and drawers. "Keep what you use, not what you think you're going to use, and throw away or donate things that serve no purpose," he adds.

Spiff up your living space

Taking 10 minutes a day to give your home a quick spiff-up will not only make your home look more organized, it will give you peace of mind because it is more organized. "The first time, if you haven't done a thorough cleaning in a while might take longer than 10 minutes," says Klosky, but once you have your home de-cluttered and in order, maintenance is a quick job.